A Night Exercise
by KarelaTheRedHawk
Summary: Alex is kidnapped and tortured by Scorpia. A short time after being rescued, MI6 sends him to Brecon Beacons for 'protection'. One night during a midnight swim, K-Unit is startled to learn who Cub really is. Please R&R. Glacial updates...sorry.
1. Prologue

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble, but it turned into its own short story. I apologize for any Americanisms and also for the Sergeant sucking and being OOC later on.

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

~Prologue~

Stupid **bloody** MI6. Who in their right minds would think it would be a good idea to send a sixteen year old to Brecon Beacons to train after being tortured by Scorpia a month ago? Whatever happened to nice, normal, grueling _physical therapy_ in a comfortable and boring _hospital_? Paired with bloody K-Unit again, who were _conveniently _just coming back from assignment; Alex seriously considered doing the world a favor and murdering Alan Blunt.

Yelling was suddenly heard and there was pounding on their cabin door.

"Let's go K-Unit! Get your lazy asses to the lake in five!" the Sergeant screamed.

Alex groaned and reluctantly got up. 'Great a midnight swim, I'll have to keep my shirt on and hope like hell that my stitches don't reopen.' Eagle whined a little, but K-Unit woke up quickly and was about to leave when Wolf turned and said,

"You better keep up Double O'Nothing, wouldn't want your rich Daddy getting fed up with your failures and putting you in **another** boarding school, now would we?"

Alex inwardly grimaced at the cruel nickname, for in his life, if you were a bad spy, you were a dead spy, but kept a blank face and closed off eyes in front of his so-called unit.

Snake and Bear, Ben's replacement, shifted uncomfortably, quickly becoming unnerved at seeing that face on one so young. Eagle was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, looking at Cub eagerly for his response. Wolf would never admit that after Point Blanc, he respected the kid and that he felt bad that his rich Daddy was putting him in these situations, but he held onto his act and glared at Cub, silently daring him to respond.

"I don't know about my failures Wolf, but I know if we don't get to the lake in about a minute, it will be all of our asses, so stop being a **git** and move yours," the young spy responded calmly if not a tad bitingly.

The whole of K-Unit was shocked into silence, until Wolf nodded and gruffly said, "Let's go."

The made it to the lake with just seconds to spare and the four adults and one teenage boy snapped to attention as the Sergeant stared at them stonily.

"Next time I say five minutes, I mean to get your asses here in four! Is that understood?" the sadist shouted.

Wolf flushed slightly and was thankful he had tan skin and it was dark out.

"Yes sir!" K-Unit all yelled in response.

"Now get in that lake!"

Each member began stripping the unnecessary clothing and then jumped into the lake, all of them did notice that Cub kept his shirt on which they thought was odd. Was he hiding something? Snake was concerned, wondering if it was about his appendicitis; while Wolf was holding back laughter, thinking Cub was embarrassed being surrounded by fit older men.

Once all of the men were in the water, the Sergeant started the exercise. Eagle, being the best swimmer, was quickly ahead of the rest of his unit. Snake and Bear were of about equal skill and were at a steady pace behind Eagle. Wolf, being the worst swimmer (not that that is saying much) of the four, was lagging slightly behind Snake and Bear; that was when it occurred to him that Cub usually swims in between Snake and Wolf, but he wasn't there. Surely one piece of clothing wouldn't slow the boy down that much? Being the unit leader, unorthodox or not, each member was his responsibility, so the shorter Hispanic man turned around in the water to see what was keeping Cub. What he saw shocked him, to say the least.

Cub was sickly pale and could barely stroke with one side of his body. Wolf quickly swam back towards Cub and tried to grab hold of him, but the boy shrugged him away and mumbled that '_he was fine'_.

Wolf snorted and said, "Cub you look like you're about to pass out, just let me help you to shore."

"I don't need help," Cub hissed.

Unfortunately for him, his strength seemed to give out at that point and he would have slipped underwater had Wolf not grabbed his waist. Wolf started towards shore pulling Cub along with him. When he finally managed to get on dry land, Wolf called Snake over and explained what he saw with their youngest member.

The Scot quickly got to work trying to diagnose the issue and realized that Cub had stopped breathing. He immediately started CPR and luckily after a short time, the boy coughed up the lake water and started breathing again. Snake sighed in relief and came to the conclusion that he needed to remove his shirt to try to find the problem; and gasped in horror at what was revealed underneath that innocent fabric. Bear, Eagle, and Wolf were instantly at Snakes side and blanched at what they saw.

* * *

><p>AN: Thank you for reading. This was my first attempt at K-Unit so I hope I did okay.

EDIT: I changed Alex's age from 14 to 16. This is now the prologue.

Another EDIT: I changed "a week ago" to "a month ago". Breacon is now Brecon.


	2. Author's Note

Author's Note:

When I first started, this was only supposed to be a drabble for the prompt of 'swimming', but it turned into what I thought would be a twoshot. I posted the first part and I had the second part written, but then I got so many absolutely wonderful reviews asking for more, asking for a story, that I couldn't help to be inspired to make it better. Instead of being a twoshot, I really want to make this into a story.

I would really like to thank **It's A Bonsai Tree **for the wonderful and incredibly helpful review. I want to make this something people enjoy and I want to try to figure out exactly where I will be going with this, so there will be a little bit of a wait for the next chapter. Please bear with me. Your reviews and favorites and alerts mean the world to me, and it's because of all of you that I'm trying to make this longer and better. I will never abandon this. For those that have reviewed, if I have not replied to you yet, I will soon; because I wouldn't even be writing if it weren't for all of you. Thank you all for your patience and understanding.

~KarelaTheRedHawk~


	3. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

~Chapter 1~

_Seven Months Ago:_

A young boy was just outside his front door, after walking home from school, when he heard the shot; a single shot that pierced the air and sent a shiver of fear run down his spine. He pressed the switch on his watch three times, contacting MI6 for backup. He cautiously opened the front door and brought out his gun. After the Snakehead mission, Alex agreed to legally work for MI6 and was given the same benefits as any of age agent, including his own gun.

He sensed a presence in the kitchen and went to investigate. As he pushed open the kitchen door, the 16 year old felt as though he had been doused in a bucket of ice water at the sight that greeted him; his fiery red-headed guardian was lying in a pool of her own blood, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.

"Jack…," Alex croaked as he walked towards her prone form and fell to his knees. The spy paled when he saw the silver scorpion.

"Alex Rider, we have orders to bring you in."

Five trained assassins entered from the backdoor and circled Jack's bloody body. A panicked thought flew into Alex's mind.

_I'm surrounded. I'm backed into a corner._

He stubbornly pushed it away lest he lost focus. The young man shoved his grief and fear aside and put himself in a fighting stance.

The man that had spoken suddenly grinned; glad that the boy was going to put up a fight.

"This is your test," He told the four assassins, "Remember our orders say _**alive**_."

Alex, having plenty of experience in being out-numbered, knew better than to attack first and leave himself open to the other four.

The assassin on the right, closest the back door made the first move with a testing jab that was quickly and effectively blocked. It broke the ice and the battle began.

The blond spy realized that thirty minutes had passed since the battle had begun, and he had knocked out two and killed one, and MI6 still had not shown up. He was beginning to think he was 14 again. Despair crept up on him when he came to the conclusion that no help was coming; at that moment, the fifth scorpion dealt a blow to his pulse point that knocked him out in an instant.

The man smiled sadly down at the unconscious boy and thought, _I'm sorry; you never should have been involved_. He walked over and injected Alex with a tranquilizer to assure he wouldn't wake up before he was supposed to.

"Tie him up securely and throw him in the van," he told the remaining man, while grabbing the two knocked out men, knowing they would be punished for failing their test.

Standing outside the van, the assassin pulled out his radio, "We have Rider. Pull out in twenty minutes and meet at the rendezvous point."

"Roger. Be fast, MI6 will hunt high and low for their little toy once they actually receive his distress signal."

"I know. Be safe brother."

"You as well."

* * *

><p>Alex groaned as he came to. He blearily opened his eyes and realized with a start that he was strapped to a chair in a cold depressing room. The spy snorted. "More like a dungeon," he muttered.<p>

"Look who decided to join the land of the living, quite unlike your housekeeper," a bulky man with a menacing grin drawled.

Alex whipped his head around to glare at the man while he tried to fight the images of Jack's corpse from his head.

"Once I get out of this chair, we shall see if you will ever rejoin the land of the living," he retorted snarkily.

He stalked over and backhanded the teen while he hissed, "You should respect your trainer boy." Noticing his blank face the man sneered, "What did no one tell you? It's my job to train you to tolerate torture. The board wants you to be conscious during your **real** punishment. My name is Demyan; remember it as you writhe in pain."

* * *

><p>AN: I wanted a better Russian name than Vladimir so I looked it up and found Demyan (to tame).

I think I might know where I'm going with this (at least I hope so). I change Alex's age from 14 to 16 in the first chapter, which is now the prologue.

I want to thank everyone that reviewed, they mean so much to me and I really hope that you all enjoyed this. I will try to make the chapters longer, but I won't make any promises I'm not sure I can keep.

EDIT: Changed 'three months ago' to 'seven'. It is so difficult to keep everything straight. I don't know how many times I have typed something only to realize it contradicts a previous chapter.


	4. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

* * *

><p>~Chapter 2~<p>

"_My name is Demyan remember; it as you writhe in pain."_

"How long did it take you to think of that? Someone of your intelligence, it must have taken you a few days," Alex retorted hoping to sound braver than he was feeling; because quite frankly, he was terrified of the big Russian man in front of him that was clearly looking forward to seeing how long he would last.

He was angry at MI6. Why didn't anyone come when he called? The young spy tried to push his fear away and focus more on the anger as he glared defiantly at Demyan.

The Russian merely grinned maliciously at the boy that was completely at his mercy, not that he had any of course. "You will learn soon enough that it is best to keep your thoughts to yourself. The only sounds I want to hear out of that pretty little mouth of yours are your screams of pain and you begging me to stop."

Before Alex could even begin to process that, Demyan left the room. The words repeated themselves in his head and he shuddered in both disgust and dread. He suddenly let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding. "Calm down. Have to stay calm. Cannot allow myself to panic; that does no one, except maybe Demyan, and good," Alex told himself while expertly scanning the room, but being tied, with absolutely no wiggle room, there was nothing he could do.

Time ticked slowly by and the spy tried to get as much sleep as possible, thinking that he will need the energy. Finally at least three hours had past and despite the situation; Alex was bored being in the middle of the room tied to a chair. "Ugh, what is this: torture by boredom?" the 16 year old muttered to himself.

The young spy finally fell into a fitful sleep, haunted by all the people whose deaths' he had a hand in, including Jack, telling him that he deserves everything he is going to get; that it won't be enough to pay for his crimes.

()()()()()()()_  
><em>

_Alex looks around wondering where he is as he observes his surroundings. It looks so peaceful and calm. Everything is green and there is a pleasantly warm breeze caressing his face. _

_Footsteps can be heard. The boy turns towards them and watches a person walking up the hill, the sun at their back, causing a glare around their face. Alex squints trying to figure out who the mysterious person is. _

_They finally arrive in front of Alex and he looks up to see Jack's smiling face. _

"_Jack!" Alex grins and hugs his housekeeper slash guardian._

"_Alex," Jack hugs him for a moment and then suddenly pushes him away from her, the shock knocking him to the ground._

_The young spy looks up and sees dark anger fall over the redheads face and dark storm clouds rolling in from the distance. _

"_Jack?" he questions in a meek voice. _

"_**You killed me!**__" Jack screams._

_He cringed; he always hated hearing Jack's American accent whenever she screamed._

"_I didn't kill you, Scorpia assassins did."_

"_Oh and whose fault is it that Scorpia assassins broke into our home? Hmm, let me think. Oh, yes, they wanted you, not me. __**You!**__ Anyone who ever gets close to you dies: your parents, your uncle, that damn assassin that you seem to care about despite the fact that he __**murdered**__ your uncle and countless others, and me. Who's next Alex? Tom? Sabina? Ben? Your little SAS group? They'll all die and it will be all because of you," Jacks finished, glaring at him with her deadened eyes; eyes that will never experience a career or a family; eyes that will haunt him for the rest of his life. _

()()()()()()()_  
><em>

Alex woke with a start, looking around the room wildly. His shoulders slumped as he realized he was still tied to a chair. The iron door swung open and Demyan stepped in wearing a malevolent smile and carrying a whip.

"Ah, what's the matter? Does little Alex suffer from nightmares?" the mockery was plain in his voice. "Well it's exactly what you deserve. You're nothing more than a traitor; murdered the people that took you in and graciously gave an impertinent little boy like you training so that you could survive in this world. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to kill you; I was ordered to merely prepare you for your trial before the board, by whatever means I deem necessary."

"Impertinent. Huh? How long did it take you to learn that word? I mean can you even spell it?" the young spy riposted in a calm demeanor, but inside he was reeling. 'The board members of Scorpia are the most ruthless criminals in the world, why would they put me on trial instead of just killing me?'

"Brat," Demyan hissed as he backhanded the boy. "I'm going to enjoy this."

The Russian raised the whip in the air and brought it back down with a snap, but he didn't let it hit flesh just yet; he wanted the little urchin to suffer through some anticipation first, never knowing when the hit would come.

"This is a Cat O' Nine Tails and it is designed to lacerate the skin and cause intense pain˚ and I will take delight in your agony," Demyan lectured in his best teaching voice, which was more menacing than informative.

* * *

><p>˚Direct quote from Wikipedia.<p>

A/N: It took me a long time to write this and for that I apologize; while I have no problems reading torture fics, it was surprisingly difficult writing my own. The next chapter (which I am a quarter way through) will have more graphic scenes and I will increase the rating to T (I believe).

Thank you for your patience and understanding and I hope you enjoyed reading chapter 2. Just a note, it will get a lot worse before it gets better.

Please review they mean the world to me.


	5. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

Warnings: **Torture**. You have been warned.

* * *

><p>~Chapter 3~<p>

"_This is a Cat O' Nine Tails and it is designed to lacerate the skin and cause intense pain and I will take delight in your agony," Demyan lectured in his best teaching voice, which was more menacing than informative. _

Alex glowered at the Russian trying to stop the apprehension from creeping up his spine.

Demyan sneered as he raised the whip once again. Finally he brought it down, pelting the boy's stomach with a sickening crack, only to swiftly lift it up and have it plummet again and again.

The young spy clenched his fists, his nails digging crescent moons into the palm of his hands; blood sluggishly flowing from the wound. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, and giving the sadist any satisfaction. When he felt his ribs crack with a nauseating snap, he realized he had bitten through his tongue and acquired a metallic taste in his mouth; he spat the blood and phlegm at Demyan and was able to connect despite his vision being blurry as a result of the tremendous pain.

The big brute glowered at the boy in disgust as he wiped sputum off his face and picked up the pace hoping to wedge a scream out of the little bastard. The Russian decided that the despicable little brat wasn't in enough pain and decided to rip off his shirt, and that was the moment when he saw the scar, the spot that would surely cause an indescribable amount of pain. He grinned savagely and aimed for it specifically.

Alex watched in horror as his torturer ripped off his shirt, knowing that his cover had been slightly cushioning the blows, and seemed to be studying his bullet wound. He fought off the dread as he observed the calculating and sadistic gleam in the man's eyes; the boy just knew that the pain was going to be absolutely unbearable.

_SNAP!_

It was practically intolerable; he had to clench his teeth to the point that he felt as though they were going to crack, in order to keep from screaming out in insufferable agony. The teenager fought with himself to keep the tears from falling; he shook his head to dispel the moisture that was traitorously building in the corners of his eyes despite his best intentions, but he would not allow his tormentor to revel in his misery.

The man laughed evilly as he saw what the boy tried so valiantly to hide: the tears, the pain, and, his personal favorite, the fear; it was heady feeling. It was, in fact, almost an aphrodisiac for the big Russian terror. He shifted his stance as he looked at the delectable boy completely at his disposition; oh how he wished to break the fragile soul in front of him, but that wasn't his job, he was just supposed to hurt him a little, strengthen the boys endurance, but not cause lasting harm, that was the Boards' job.

However as the boy glanced up at Demyan with glassy pain-filled eyes, flushed cheeks, and gasping for breath as a result of his ribs, he was hard pressed not to give into his urges. He longed to have the pale flesh that was currently littered with bruises and lacerations, to be writhing underneath him, squirming in pain and despair, trying fruitlessly to escape his fate. He wanted to be the one that broke that spirit; that made the flicker of hope burn out of the young but jaded eyes. With a spark of anger of the boy testing his control, he let the whip down with overwhelming force directly on the bullet wound scar that was already red, irritated, and swollen.

Alex glanced up at the barbarian and was quite frankly terrified at the crazed look that was filling his eyes. He tried to hunch in upon himself to both protect his body and to stop Demyan from leering at him with barely controlled lust in his expression; unfortunately all of his efforts seemed to be futile and it was making him feel incredibly uncomfortable.

The monster used his impeccable restraint to force his emotions under his control and tempered his lust. He would not act out of line; he would follow the orders the board set out. He would not break the blond boy. The Russian sighed and decided to move on with other forms of torture before he slipped. He grabbed the boy's wrists and untied him from the chair he was bound to and hefted the spy up and slammed him onto a table and proceeded to cinch his wrists and ankles to it.

As he was lifted up, Alex started kicking and squirming, trying to twist out of the barbarians' grip, but it was fruitless; he was weak from the whipping and the bastard of a man was too damn strong. The spy growled in frustration as he was strapped down; it was humiliating, not to mention infuriating, being tossed about as if he were a rag-doll.

"Now you stay there like a good little boy while I prepare a _special_ surprise for you," the fiend patronized. Demyan laughed as he left the room, genuinely amused when the boy snarled at him for patting his head.

* * *

><p>AN: I cannot believe that I wrote something this disgusting. It took me forever to be able to stomach writing something of this caliber, but I figured, if I can read a torture scene, I can write one as well. I have to send my thanks to Scorpia710's _Faint Hearted_, it really helped figure out where to start and it inspired me to write this. I hope this was enjoyable (?) and I hope I didn't lose too many readers with this. Thank you for reading and please review and leave me your feedback.

I'm not exactly positive where I am going with this story, so I ask that you please be patient, it may take me awhile to write the next chapter. Thank you.


	6. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

Thanks to **ijitgirl** for the suggestion of going back to the present, I appreciate the idea and I hoped I was able to make it work.

~Chapter 4~

Present:

_Snake sighed in relief and came to the conclusion that he needed to remove his shirt to try to find the problem; and gasped in horror at what was revealed underneath that innocent fabric. Bear, Eagle, and Wolf were instantly at Snakes side and blanched at what they saw._

Cubs' torso was littered with cuts, bruises, and scars; including a bullet wound right over his heart.

Each member of K-Unit was completely speechless; all of them wondering what kind of **monsters** could do that to a child.

Snake, being the medic of the group, quickly noticed that the majority of the lacerations were incredibly recent and still had stitches in them, some of which had reopened and were now bleeding sluggishly. Lifting the sixteen year old into his arms, planning to bring him to the infirmary, the Scot noticed blood where Cub had previously been laying; turning the teen over, it was plain to see where the red liquid had come from. The young spy had even more cuts and scars on his back, including a multitude that looked as though they were caused by a whip. Shaking his head Snake told his unit, "There is too much damage, he needs a doctor. I'll bring him to the Infirmary. Wolf," he turned and addressed his leader, "you need to go and report to the Sergeant."

The medic's calm orders knocked Wolf out of his shock. Feeling grateful that Snake was taking charge while his mind was reeling, the shorter man nodded his head and left to do as he was instructed.

As their leader left, Snake turned and started his walk to the Infirmary; Eagle and Bear were lost and decided that while they might not necessarily care for kid, they would follow the Scottish male and ensure that their unorthodox fifth member was alright.

* * *

><p>"Where is your unit Wolf?" The Sergeant barked.<p>

"Sir, Cub passed out during the exercise and the unit is bringing him to the Infirmary now," the Hispanic adult breathed out, the Sergeant's harsh demeanor being the only thing keeping the usually stoic man together.

"Why did Cub pass out soldier?" He questioned suspiciously.

"Snake checked him over when I got him out of the water and it looks as though someone recently used him as a cutting board and whipping boy, sir," Wolf responded in a respectful but anxious tone.

"I was hoping I was wrong…," the Sergeant muttered to himself, not intending for the other to hear him.

"Sir?"

"Go check on your teammate Wolf, I have to make a few phone calls," he declared as he dismissed the distressed man.

"Yes sir," Wolf replied with a questioning inflection in his voice, but the harsh man just kept whispering to himself as he walked back to his quarters. Deciding to think about it later, Wolf turned and headed towards where his fifth K-Unit member was laying, unconscious and in pain.

* * *

><p>Sergeant Calvin Serway sat at his desk in his quarters and mumbled to himself in a low voice, "I should have known it was him. Who else could it have been?" Pulling a file from his desk, the Sergeant looked through M-Units' mission report and subsequent psych eval, which they all failed.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Mission Report:<strong>

"_Our orders were to infiltrate a well hidden Scorpia bunker. The deputy head of MI6 herself gave us our instructions, stating that they had been looking for this building for six months. We were to go in, kill or capture whoever we could and look for any captives Scorpia might have been holding. There were many guards that we had to kill, but it seemed as though the higher-ups knew we were coming and had scattered. We cleared the entrance and moved down to the basement where there was an influx of guards; they were obviously holding someone important. After emptying the underground, we saw a door with heavy locks going across; Wasp shot the locks off and we walked in and I had to take a step back. It was like walking into a medieval torture chamber: stone walls with manacles, blood, both fresh and old, staining the walls and a tray filled with a multitude of torture instruments, all of which looked as though they had been used recently. What was worse was there was a young boy hanging from a set of rusty manacles on the wall; he was so small and covered in welts and lacerations, I wasn't even sure if he was alive, but then I looked closer and I could see shallow breathing. I had Wasp and Panther cut him down, while I called for emergency transport, and he almost died, it took Badger almost two minutes to bring him back while the rest of us just watched absolutely horrified that anyone could do that to a child."_

_-Hawk (__**Leader**__)_

* * *

><p><em>"I didn't even know where to start; so many bones were cracked and broken. When Wasp and Panther cut him down from the wall, he went into shock and stopped breathing. I had to perform CPR and while doing the chest compressions, I could feel a few ribs moving and I just had to pray that one wouldn't pierce a lung. Thankfully I was able to resuscitate him where he then fell safely into unconsciousness. I glanced up at Hawk to ask how long the transport would take and he had gone completely white and had a repulsed look on his face, I turned my gaze to Wasp and Panther and while they were equally horrorstruck, one could feel the anger coming off in waves that someone could do this to a child."<em>

_-Badger (__**Medic**__)_

* * *

><p><em>"After shooting some Scorpia guards, we shot the lock on the door and walked in the vilest room any of us had ever seen. It was like something you would see in a <em>_**Saw**__ movie or another gruesome and gory horror movie. Those monsters had a boy, a child, chained to the wall, bloody and broken. I wanted to leave the room and find more guards and Scorpia agents to shoot. All I felt was overwhelming anger; anger at Scorpia for doing this to a child and anger at the intelligence agencies for putting someone's child in this sort of danger. I knew the boy needed help though so while Hawk was calling for emergency medic transport, Panther and I, as carefully as we could, cut the poor boy down. We were all hoping that that he would make it, but then he stopped breathing. Luckily Badger was able to bring him back. I swear when Badger looked up at us, he had tears in his eyes. I know we were all thinking, 'how could anyone do this to a child?'" _

_-Wasp (__**Shooter**__)_

* * *

><p><em>"We were all pretty anxious when we received this mission. To have a chance, as small as it may be, at Scorpia is every SAS soldier's dream, to hurt a powerful terrorist organization. It was nothing like we had all imagined, all of the high powered members had already gone, and all that was left were guards. We rather easily dispatched them all and moved lower through the building. When we got to the bottom, there was one heavily locked door. Wasp shot the locks off and we all entered. It was horrible, they had a young boy chained to the wall; he was covered in blood and puss. He was thin and emaciated, barely clinging onto life. We could hear his shallow and raspy breathing in the soundless chamber. Hawk told Wasp and I to cut him down, but when we did, he stopped breathing and Badger was just barely able to bring him back. I don't understand how someone, even a terrorist, could do this to a child. I wish the ones that did that to the boy were here so I could make them experience the same pain he did."<em>

_-Panther (__**Survival**__)_

* * *

><p><strong>Psych Evaluation:<strong>

"_All four members of M-Unit, Hawk, Badger, Wasp, and Panther, have been traumatized by what they saw on their mission. They all suffer from vivid nightmares, many of which cause them to wake-up and expel anything that is in their stomachs. Hawk has mentioned graphic flash-backs of seeing the young boy and Badger constantly wonders what would have happened if he hadn't been able to resuscitate him. My personal belief is that all four member of M-Unit need an extended leave and continued therapy."_

_-Dr. Stella Namhart, Ph.D._

* * *

><p>Sergeant Serway thought back to how angry he had been when he received the phone call stating that Cub would be coming back and how much crap the boy had had to deal with from the other soldiers, when he had probably seen and experienced more than any of them ever would. Many would assume that being the Sergeant of an SAS camp you would have to uncaring in order to be hard on the soldiers, but that simply isn't true; the reason that they are so tough is because they care and are trying to make sure all of their men will survive no matter what they are put through.<p>

The phone suddenly rang, breaking Calvin out of his reverie. Shaking his head the Sergeant answered, "Sergeant Serway."

"Sergeant, Snake reporting, the doctors need Cub's medical file. They tried to give some standard pain medication and he had an allergic reaction that almost killed him," the usually calm Scot sounded borderline frantic.

"Why doesn't the station already have his file?" Serway questioned.

"I asked but all they have is a one-paged folder where all of the important information is marked out, even Cub's age."

"Alright I'll see what I can find, in the meantime tell the doctors to tread carefully," the Sergeant stated and then barked, "And keep it together soldier!"

"Yes Sir!" The medic answered.

Calvin looked around files in his office and realized that he never received any paperwork on Cub. The first time he, along with everyone else, thought that Cub was a troubled kid whose rich father wanted to get inline and it was all off the books therefore no file. At least that was what they all thought. Now it was becoming clear that K-Unit's unorthodox fifth member didn't have a rich father and was in more trouble than he could probably handle.

Picking up the phone, Serway dialed the number to the Royal & General Bank.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm sorry this took so long. At first it was writers block, but then I started working on this and my family and I moved from Singapore back to Virginia and for awhile I didn't have internet. This is the longest chapter next so I hope all the readers forgive me. Thank you for your patience and for reading and reviewing.

EDIT: changed two months to six in Hawk's mission report.


	7. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

~Chapter 5~

Present:

_Picking up the phone, Serway dialed the number to the Royal & General Bank._

"Royal and General Bank, this is Mary, how may I help you?" A cheerful voice answered.

"I need to speak with Tulip Jones," the Sergeant responded.

"I'm sorry, but there is nobody here by that name," the formally cheery voice stated with slight edge.

Sighing, Serway reached in his drawer and pulled out a small slip of paper. Looking it over and rolling his eyes, Sergeant Serway read, "I need to access my account."

"Account number?" Mary returned.

"Account: **13-9-F** extension: **109**," Calvin responded promptly.

"Your name sir?"

"Sergeant Calvin Serway. Commanding Officer of Brecon Beacons."

"I'm connecting you now, have a nice day."

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>"This is Tulip Jones," an authoritative voice answered, "What do you need Sergeant?"<p>

"Ma'am there was an incident during a simple exercise and now one of my men is in the infirmary," Serway responded in a respectful tone.

"I fail to see why you felt the need to inform me. I do not appreciate have my time wasted," Mrs. Jones stated annoyed.

Getting slightly irritated Calvin said, "The man was Cub and the infirmary needed his medical file."

"What happened to Cub?"

Sergeant Serway was taken aback by the blatant concern he could hear in her normally emotionless voice. "He passed out during a swimming exercise; his unit medic checked him for injuries and found multiple unhealed wounds covering 80 to 90 percent of his body. K-Unit brought him to the infirmary and because we weren't given an acceptable medical file, he almost died when the doctors gave him painkillers that he is apparently allergic to."

"You should have received a full medical file."

"I am looking at a copy right now and it is in no way a full file, many things are either blacked out or missing."

"I have the file here and you will be receiving it shortly," she paused, "I will be driving down to Brecon Beacons shortly."

"Understood Ma'am."

Hanging up the phone, Tulip Jones sat pensively at her desk. Having never wanted Alex Rider involved in the first place, it was difficult to think about him being in the infirmary, or St. Dominic's, or even on a mission. He reminded her so much of the family she lost due to having a multitude of enemies. She didn't want Alex to end up like her, emotionless and cold; she could barely handle it herself, popping peppermints as though they were pills in an attempt to rid herself of the stench and taste of death that every order she gives seem to carry.

Grabbing Alex Rider's full file, Tulip came to a decision; that sixteen-year old had lost, seen, and experienced far too much and if she could find a suitable solution, she would do everything she could to get the young damaged spy away from Scorpia and maybe even out from under Alan Blunt's thumb. She did wonder why Alex was even participating in any exercises considering his condition.

* * *

><p>Answering his once again ringing phone, he stated, "Sergeant Serway."<p>

"Sergeant this is Wolf. The doctors just received Cub's full medical file and told us to call and inform you that it is necessary for you to read it."

"I will do so immediately. How is Cub doing Wolf?"

"I don't know Sir. They are working on him now, but it's apparently too early to tell his unit anything," Wolf responded in a gruff voice with a hard edge.

"Don't wear down the floor pacing Wolf."

"Understood Sir."

Placing the phone back, Serway opened his e-mail and found Cub's medical file, having not seen Cub's body himself, it was a shock reading through the file.

* * *

><p><strong>Medical File:<strong>

**Name: **_**** ***** (Cub)_

**Birth Date: **_February 13, 19** (Age: **)_

**Injuries (Recent): **_Multiple contusions and lacerations covering 85 percent of body; Whip marks and knife wounds on both sides of body; Malnutrition; Dehydration; Infection; Broken ribs; Punctured lung; Infected and raw bullet wound above heart; Dislocated shoulders; Scorpion branded on stomach; 'D' branded on left upper thigh; Minor convulsions due to prolonged electroshock; Burns on bottoms of feet; Deep wounds on wrists and ankles, expected to scar; Experiences flashbacks and panic attacks_

**Comments:**_ All injuries have been treated to the best of the doctors' ability; patient needs time and constant care to fully heal; should not be doing any strenuous activities for at least three months, recommended six months. Physical therapy is required to fully heal. Therapy is recommended. _

**Extra Note: **_Bullet wound 3 cm above the heart appears to be inflicted approximately two years ago._

* * *

><p>Serway was shocked; the bullet wound would have been inflicted not long after Cub was at Brecon Beacons the first time. Adding up the time from when M-Unit went on their mission to the time when he received the phone call informing that Cub would be coming back was only three weeks. The medical file clearly states that the boy shouldn't be doing any sort of activity for at least three months.<p>

The Sergeant was amazed that Cub was able to stand let alone walk and do the exercises for the week that he has been here. Standing up, Serway left his quarters and headed to the gate to await the arrival of Mrs. Jones, the Deputy Head of MI6.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we take him to the infirmary just to have him almost die when the doctors try to help him," an amazed Eagle exclaimed.<p>

"Well I can't believe that we had to take him here in the first place. I mean what happened to the kid?" Bear questioned and Snake nodded in agreement.

"I don't know, but I'll find out and then they will wish they had never been born," an irate Wolf vowed right as the Sergeant and a mysterious woman walked into the waiting area.

"I know you're protective of your unit Wolf, but I'd be careful who you start hunting down," Sergeant Serway cautioned the angered soldier. "K-Unit come to my office, we have some things we need to discuss concerning your fifth member."

* * *

><p>EDIT: Added some material to Mrs. Jones' section, just before Wolf calls the Sergeant.<p>

Another EDIT: Thank you to **Ty Cavanaugh** who pointed out my transitions, it seems fanfiction thought it would be fun to delete my line breaks.


	8. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

~Chapter 6~

Present:

"_K-Unit come to my office, we have some things we need to discuss concerning your fifth member."_

Four members of K-Unit stood stiffly at attention, sending wary gazes at the unknown woman in the room. She had an emotionless and hard face and dead eyes that made Eagle shudder slightly.

"K-Unit, this is," Sergeant Serway started only to be interrupted by the woman.

"I think I can introduce myself Sergeant," she stated in a cold voice, causing Bear and Snake to glance at each other. "I am Mrs. Jones, Deputy Head of Special Operations for MI6."

There was a long silence where it didn't seem like Mrs. Jones was going to say anything else causing Eagle and Bear to glance at each other. Wolf hesitantly spoke up, "Why are you here Ma'am?"

"I am here in regards to your fifth member, Cub," Mrs. Jones paused before opening a peppermint, the sweet smell wafting to the hardened SAS soldiers standing at attention. "Sergeant Serway has informed me of Cub's condition and I sent his medical file and came down to provide more information."

Again the Sergeant could not help but notice the slight emotion that riddled the cold woman's voice.

Looking over the men she had just seen waiting nervously in the infirmary, she realized that they might deny it, but K-Unit did care about their unorthodox extra member; it was that fact that nearly made her smile, instead she decided to put her trust in these men. "Alex Rider, known to you as Cub, is MI6's most successful agent and Alan Blunt's secret weapon, he is sixteen years old," she explained, waiting for the inevitable blowout.

"WHAT?!" Wolf bellowed in both shock and outrage.

Snake looked murderous and he came to a realization, "We have known Cub for about two years. You mean to tell me that he was a spy at fourteen?" He hissed with narrowed eyes.

"That is correct. Ever since his Uncle was murdered on the job, Alan Blunt has been blackmailing Alex to work for us," Mrs. Jones confirmed before adding, "Although maybe work isn't necessarily the right word, after all, it isn't as though we could actually have a fourteen year old on our payroll and get away with it. It has only been since he turned sixteen that he has been an official employee of the bank, and I think that is only because Alex knew Blunt would never let him go, and he figured he might as well be paid for his work."

Wolf was vibrating in anger as he asked, "The head of MI6 blackmailed a fourteen-year old schoolboy into doing his dirty work; and didn't even pay him until he turned sixteen?"

"That is correct," Mrs. Jones replied. "Not long ago, the terrorist organization Scorpia murdered Alex's guardian and took Alex himself captive. He was under their 'care' for six months until he was rescued one month ago by M-Unit," she was about to continue before she was interrupted.

"He was only rescued one month ago?" Snake questioned. "That boy should still be in the hospital recovering, not to mention the fact that he should be going through extensive physical therapy," the medic finished shocked and outraged.

Wolf then sputtered, "G-guardian? What happened to his parents?"

Mrs. Jones sighed, realizing that Alex hadn't opened up to his teammates at all, "Alex's parents died when he was a baby. Alex was raised by his paternal uncle until he was killed on the job two years ago. After that Cub's guardianship was taken over by his American housekeeper and caretaker, she was like an older sister to him."

After letting the men process the information for a minute, she proceeded to answer Snake's question, "Unfortunately by the time we were able to locate Alex, the Board members managed to escape and Alex had been tortured heavily. We still haven't captured them and one attempt was made on Alex while he was in the hospital. We have a mole in our agency so Mr. Blunt decided to send Alex back to Brecon Beacons for protection, the only people who know that Alex Rider is Cub as well as his location is myself, Alan Blunt, Sergeant Serway, and now you…K-Unit."

"Why weren't we informed that Cub was here for protection and recuperation? The report I was sent stated that he was to undergo the same training that K-Unit was participating in," Serway questioned.

"That I do not know. I doubt Alan would have done it, as callous as he is he knows that Alex Rider is the best and that he needs to recover. If someone intercepted the orders to send Alex here…"

Bear interrupted her, asking, "Are you saying we could be attacked at any moment?"

Mrs. Jones pursed her lips but nodded, "It is a possibility. We will need to secretly move Mr. Rider to a safe house. He will need guards…K-Unit are you willing to guard and protect your fifth member?"

Wolf glanced at his teammates and knew the answer without them saying a word. "Yes ma'am, just tell us when and where to move him. We'll make sure he stays safe."

"I have a feeling Alex will be in good hands. I will organize the safe house and transportation. You five will leave tomorrow morning. By tonight you will all have files with information pertaining to both Mr. Rider and Scorpia," Mrs. Jones finished before charging out of the Sergeant's office with the intent to call only those she trusted.

After a moment of silence, the Sergeant looked at Wolf and solemnly stated, "Wolf, I hope you and your unit will help that boy all you can."

"Yes sir, we will," the shorter male replied determinedly, his three other unit members nodding alongside him.

Once Sergeant Serway dismissed them, Wolf took charge, "Bear and Eagle, you two go and start packing up our cabin, as quietly and discreetly as you can. Snake and I will head to the infirmary and check on Cub. When you have finished come and switch out with us."

Bear and Eagle both nodded silently before taking off for the cabin.

Wolf sighed before turning to Snake and stating, "Well, let's go check on our Cub."

* * *

><p>AN: I am _sooooo_ sorry, I can offer nothing but excuses and extreme apologies. This chapter gave me so much trouble, everything I wrote contradicted something I had written previously. I finally got this out, but if anyone notices any glaring mistakes please let me know.

I edited the prologue and chapters 1, 4, and 5. Just small things like months. Alex was held captive for six months, not two, was rescued a month ago, and woke up three weeks ago.

I have finals next week, but I am working on chapter 7. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and for your patience.


	9. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Anthony Horowitz created Alex Rider; therefore I do not own him.

~Chapter 7~

_Wolf sighed before turning to Snake and stating, "Well, let's go check on our Cub."_

'Where am I?' Alex wondered as he came back into consciousness. He thought back and remembered coming back to Brecon Beacons.

**LINE BREAK**

_St. Dominic Hospital, he was in St. Dominic's_

That was the first thing that came to Alex's mind as he woke up. The spy groaned realizing that everything hurt.

The doctors and nurses passed by in a blur, it wasn't until Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt came that Alex truly woke up.

"Alex, how are you feeling?"

The abused spy gave her his best 'how the hell do you think I'm feeling' look, he had enough experience to have mastered it.

"Wha?" Alex coughed, his throat felt like it as on fire and that he had swallowed a handful of broken glass.

Mrs. Jones calmly poured a glass of water and helped the teen sip it, a few droplets dribbling down his chin.

"Thank you," Alex whispered and the cold woman nodded. "What happened?" The blonde was finally able to get out.

"We got the distress signal from your watch and we sent two SAS teams to your house, but Jack was already dead and you had been taken," Alan Blunt said in a monotone voice as though he was reading a report.

"Smithers examined the signal and realized that someone on the inside had hacked our system and quieted the signal for forty-five minutes. We tracked the watch but it was found broken at the back of an alley about twenty minutes from your house," Mrs. Jones continued wanting their best agent to know that they wouldn't have abandoned him when he called for help, like they had done in the past.

"It took us six months to find Scorpia's warehouse where they were holding you," the woman continued. "When we found it we had L, M, and T-Units infiltrate their bunker. M-Unit was the team to find you; they released your restraints and had to resuscitate and were able to keep you alive until the paramedics could obtain access to you."

"Someone in MI6 is a…," he trailed off, looking up at his employers in shock.

"A mole, yes," the deputy head of MI6 answered solemnly before continuing, "That same mole notified Scorpia that we were coming so by the time the SAS infiltrated the bunker, only a few grunts were left guarding the place. We are just thankful that they did not have time to move you to a new location."

The emotionless man added, "We have our most trusted conducting an internal investigation, but Scorpia's operative is in deep cover and unfortunately it is going to take time to find them."

The sixteen year old nodded as he thought about the implications. "What is going to happen?"

Tulip Jones sighed as she replied, "Right now, you need to recover and we need to keep you safe and protected. It is imperative that Scorpia is not allowed access to you again. We will do everything in our power to keep you safe."

**LINE BREAK**

The teenager had originally found it difficult to believe that there could possibly be a mole in MI6; that was until he was almost kidnapped (_again!_) in his hospital room, the room that no one was supposed to know he was in.

**LINE BREAK**

He absolutely hated hospitals, they all told you to rest and recover, but then the nurses sadistically wake you up every few hours to 'see how you're doing'. It was late at night or early in the morning, and he had just been woken up by a contrite young woman on the night shift.

"How are you doing honey?" The nurse asked; she was a rounded brunette with a sweet face.

The injured teen bit back a groan at seeing her earnest expression; as though she really cared someone was injured. "Tired," he sighed, the blonde didn't think he would be able to hold back his exasperation if he had to hold a long conversation.

"I know. Let me just check your vitals and you can get back to sleep," she responded with a knowing look and a pleasant smile.

Alex nodded silently and quietly thanked her as she was leaving his room.

That had happened ten minutes ago, and as the sixteen year old started to drift off again, he heard his hospital room door open silently and close with a quiet click.

The young spy cracked his eyes open so that only a sliver was visible in the dark room. Alex saw a tall man look at his chart at the foot of his bed before the man walked forward and started quietly examining the machines.

From seemingly out of nowhere, the intruder withdrew a syringe filled with a questionable liquid. As soon as he saw the syringe, Alex pressed the call button on his bed. The blonde teen watched and waited as the, what he assumed was an, assassin raised his hand to insert the fluid into his IV before striking his hand out.

The man's eyes widened, but he made no other acknowledgment of surprise. The assassin quickly moved before the teen could make another attempt and the syringe could be wasted without ever doing its job. Moving swiftly the intruder lunged forward and pinned the fighting blonde's wrists to the bed. The man's eyes narrowed as he tried to keep the squirming and fighting teen firmly on the hospital bed so that he could use only one hand leaving his other free to stab his target with the hypodermic needle.

Alex's eyes widened and blackened in terror as the assassin grabbed his wrists and immobilized him with seemingly little effort. The harsh restraint made memories rise to the surface that caused the young spy to panic causing him to lash out and squirm in an attempt to get free.

The assassin growled low and deep from his throat as he heard footsteps moving down the hallway. An alarm was quickly activated as the nurse must have seen the knocked out guards in front of Rider's room.

**LINE BREAK**

The young brunette woman had just finished her rounds when she returned back to the nurse's station and saw that the call light was lit for Alex Rider's room. Frowning in confusion the nurse started walking down towards the young boy's room; as she rounded the hallway she saw the two men, which had been guarding the room, down on the ground. Gasping, she rapidly ran back down the corridor and activated the alarm and speed-dialed St. Dominic's security and hurriedly explained the situation.

**LINE BREAK**

The man heard multiple sets of heavy footsteps run down the corridor and cursed under his breath as he still couldn't fully control the teen that was still thrashing and squirming wildly. The hospital room door was kicked open by the soldiers responsible for guarding St. Dominic's; they readied their guns and started shouting for him to release the patient, back away, and drop the syringe.

Closing his eyes for a second, the assassin sighed before leaning down to whisper in the teenager's ear, "Scorpia never forget, never forgive." With his mission failed but message delivered, the killer broke his cyanide tooth and swiftly fell forward on Alex dead.

**LINE BREAK**

After that moment the rest of that night passed by in just one big blur. Of course the next day he had to talk to the heads again, that was when Blunt came up with the idea to send him back to the bane of his existence, Brecon Beacons.

It was the one place he had hoped to never return to, the spy would have rather blasted off back into space. He understood the reasoning behind the decision, but he just didn't want to go. Alex didn't care if it was childish or not, he did not want to go; so it was a petulant, pouting, and injured spy that was loaded up and sent to Hell, otherwise known as Brecon Beacons.

* * *

><p>Ugh, I am so sorry. I'm sure everyone is rather tired of hearing that. It's not as long as I would of liked, but it is my longest chapter yet. I hope everyone enjoys reading it (and gives a nice little review) and I again apologize for it taking so long. Next chapter, I haven't even started, but should be back in present time, meaning K-Unit.<p> 


End file.
